Game Three

So, a reversal of roles turns out to cause a reversal of fortune for the Ottawa Senators.

In the first two games, the skaters (except for Mike Fisher) didn't show up and Ray Emery was the only player that competed with the Ducks. Last night, Emery was not at his best, but the skaters (except for Mike Comrie) all showed up to play.

IMHO, Fisher is making a case for himself as a Conne Smythe candidate. It's a stretch (especially given the fact that the Sens would actually have to win the Cup), but it's not out of the realm of possibility.

Fisher has been all over the Ducks since Game 1 and he has been contributing in all facets of the game. His defensive game is what gets noticed and his goal last night will get him some press, but he's also been great in the faceoff circle and his takedown of Getzlaf just brought a smile to my face.

As for the Ducks, they weren't much worse than in the first two games, but they did have more trouble staying out of the box. They are definitely a team that thrives on straddling the line of what is legal and what is not. Given the sub par refereeing in the NHL (as compared to other North American professional sports), this means that there are nights when the calls are going to go in their favour, but there are other nights where the calls will do them in. Last night, they were almost always on the losing end.

Obviously, everyone will be be talking about the non-call on the Pronger elbow, which was just ridiculous, but I thought that the Ducks got the shaft on a few borderline calls. The Getzlaf "holding" call (WTF???) and the May "tripping" penalty were very debatable. Of course, these calls came AFTER the Pronger elbow, so the refs may have been trying to make up for their temporary insanity.

The other important factor in the Sens win was the play of Giguère. As in the case of Emery, he was far from being at his best. Whatever the Sens are doing to get him moving (clearly his weakness), they have to keep doing.

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Now, the big question is: "If the Sens keep playing this well, can they truly challenge the Ducks?"

Unfortunately, I don't think so. I actually think that they have to be better. I also happen to think they can be better, most notably in goal.

If Emery can return to form AND the Sens can play this aggressively, then they'll be able to challenge the Ducks. Also, it would certainly help if Giguère were to continue his struggles.

Onward.